DNA: a novel, green, natural flame retardant and suppressant for cotton - Journal of Materials Chemistry A. Nano-Paint Repels or Attracts Water. News in Science Wednesday, 18 September 2013 Stuart GaryABC Wet or dry Scientists have developed a new material that can be painted onto surfaces to keep them wet or dry, and which never needs cleaning.
The new nanostructure coating, reported in the journal Chemistry of Materials, could reduce condensation in aircraft cabins, keep walls and roofs dry in buildings, or be used for some medical tests in remote areas without the need for high tech laboratories. "We call them raspberry particles because they're composed of spherical nanoparticles, held together in raspberry shaped structures," says study lead author Dr Andrew Telford of the University of Sydney. "Raspberry particle films can be described as sticky tape for water droplets.
Telford and colleagues based their idea on the structure of water repellent surface layers found on some rose petals, which cause water droplets to bead up into balls. Customised molecules Medical applications. Liquid-repellent nano-coatings. P2i is a nanotechnology solutions provider who works with manufacturers to deliver liquid repellent nano-coating protection to products across five key market sectors: Electronics, Lifestyle, Life Sciences, Filtration & Energy, and Military & Institutional.[1] The company was established in 2004 to commercialize technologies developed by the UK MoD’s Defense Science and Technology Laboratory.[2] In further research and development, the company has identified innovative applications, equipment and processing methods, extending its patent portfolio to over 65 families (Jan, 2013).
A material that most liquids won't wet. (Phys.org)—A nanoscale coating that's at least 95 percent air repels the broadest range of liquids of any material in its class, causing them to bounce off the treated surface, according to the University of Michigan engineering researchers who developed it.
In addition to super stain-resistant clothes, the coating could lead to breathable garments to protect soldiers and scientists from chemicals, and advanced waterproof paints that dramatically reduce drag on ships. Droplets of solutions that would normally damage either your shirt or your skin recoil when they touch the new "superomniphobic surface. " "Virtually any liquid you throw on it bounces right off without wetting it.
Tuteja is the corresponding author of a paper on the coating published in the current issue of the Journal of the American Chemical Society. She and her colleagues tested more than 100 liquids and found only two that were able to penetrate the coating. Explore further: Thinnest feasible nano-membrane produced. Cutting through the fog. Preventing glass from fogging or frosting up is a longstanding challenge with myriad applications: eyeglasses, cameras, microscopes, mirrors and refrigerated displays, to name but a few.
While there have been many advances in meeting this challenge, so far there has been no systematic way of testing different coatings and materials to see how effectively they work under real-world conditions. Now, a team of MIT researchers has developed such a testing method, and used it to find a coating that outperforms others not only in preventing foggy buildups, but also in maintaining good optical properties without distortion.
The new approach is detailed in a paper in the journal ACS Nano, written by Michael Rubner, the TDK Professor of Polymer Materials Science and Engineering; Robert Cohen, the Raymond A. and Helen E. St. Laurent Professor of Chemical Engineering; doctoral student Hyomin Lee; and recent MIT graduate Maria Alcaraz. Super-Hydrophobic Spray Makes All Your Stuff Liquid-Proof. It's definitely weird to watch the NeverWet chemists pump chocolate syrup onto a pair of white canvas shoes and to see the syrup roll off in ribbons.
Or how about when the researchers dunk an iPhone into a beaker of water and then pull out the phone and use it? NeverWet is a set of two ultra-hydrophobic sprays, including a base coat and top coat, that you can use to treat paper, fabric, metal and other materials. When local news site Lancaster Online first posted a video about NeverWet—invented by chemists based near Lancaster, Pennsylvania—the video garnered almost 1.4 million views. Now, two years later, it'll finally be available commercially. NeverWet will sell for $19.97 at Home Depot, Lancaster Online reports in an updated story. New 'Strain Paint' Glows Fluorescent When the Underlying Structure is Stressed.
New kinds of coatings and sensors that can help engineers detect stress or deformation in structures abound, but most are limited by the scope of deformation they can detect and the need to be physically connected to an output device.
Researchers at Rice University may have overcome these obstacles with a new kind of nanotube-packed "strain paint" that alerts engineers to compression and stress in an underlying structure by glowing under near-infrared light. Conventional strain sensors like those embedded in the wings of aircraft are helpful but limited in their ability to generate a holistic picture of an aircraft's structural integrity (the same goes for individual sensors placed on bridges or buildings). They typically convey strain in specific places and only measure stresses in specific directions. In other words, they only measure for the most common kinds of strain--they don't account for the unknown unknowns.